Happy 100th Birthday, Jim Davis!

Born in 1909, this great actor became a well known B-movie performer and held that career from 1947 until 1980. Some of his film appearances include Hellfire, White Cargo, Cairo, Winter Meeting, Somewhere in the Night, Pilot #5, The Quiet Gun and Dracula vs. Frankenstein… On television he guest starred on such programs as “Fireside Theatre”, “Schlitz Playhouse of Stars”, “Playhouse 90”, “General Electric Theater”, “Lassie”, “Wagon Train”, “Perry Mason”, “Police Story”, “Rawhide”, “Bonanza”, “Death Valley Days”, “The Virginian”, “Gunsmoke”, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and “The Hollywood Squares.” From 1958 until 1960 he played Wes Cameron on the program “Rescue 8.” Despite all of these previous performances it was his role as the self made oil baron on the 1970’s/1980’s prime time soap opera “Dallas” that made him a legend in television. As Jock Ewing he ruled over his beloved Southfork Ranch and Ewing Oil Company with an iron hand. Many times he had to pull the strings on his conniving eldest son J.R. (Larry Hagman) and give into his youngest son Bobby’s (Patrick Duffy) desire to leave the family business. His other two sons Gary (David Ackroyd then Ted Shackelford) and Ray (Steve Kanaly) also had to work hard to earn his respect. Jock never hesitated for a minute though when it came to his beloved second wife Ellie Southworth Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes). Even though he appeared in only 75 episodes before his death on April 26, 1981 from brain cancer his spirit lived on during the show’s entire run… In honor of his centennial… In Memoriam Remembers: Jim Davis